Papell, Antonio

3 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.

Canarias7 - Spain | 29/11/2006

The scourge of corruption in Spain

Over several months Spain has encountered a true avalanche of revelations concerning serious cases of real-estate corruption. Members of parliament from across the political spectrum are involved in these scandals that concern several towns. For Antonio Papell, these scandals contribute "to the perverse spreading of a decadent notion that it is alright to openly steal and benefit from impunity in certain sectors. ... As corruption can concern anyone, we need to see a new generation of responsible politicians who are prepared not to succumb to immorality or venality, refusing to act according to political fraternity that limits their autonomy. This is the only way, with radical surgery, that politics can hope to salvage its prestige and that citizens can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel, which should remain an instructive reference in collective memory."

Antonio Papell on the foundering of a European ideal

The Spanish journalist Antonio Papell deplores Brussels' management of clandestine immigration. "It is clear that there is no desire to turn the problem of leaky borders into a community issue. Shared perspectives in Europe are so feeble that North Europeans are incapable of seeing that immigrant saturation of Spain concerns them too. In fact, what is happening stresses the fact that the crisis in Europe, that has not stopped growing since the failure of the European constitution, is much more serious than initially thought. We are not facing a dead end in European construction, we are experiencing a regressive phase before the final foundering. ... The European political class and intelligentsia are obliged to activate and guide the European spirit once again so that the 'big idea' can regain its scope and its future."

Antonio Papell on the nationalist peril

"Nationalism is war," Francois Mitterand asserted before the European parliament in 1995. For Spanish writer Antonio Papell, the idea is as timely as ever, at the moment when Montenegro is breaking away from Serbia. Spain itself continues to pay the price for the "devastating effects of nationalism": In the so-called historic communities, characterised by the existence of home-grown political forces, we clearly saw the destructive effects of a singularisation which, more than simply defending the exotic right to be different, is quite forthright in its demands for ever greater privileges and ever less 'solidarity' or any ties that entail a duty of mutual aid, always seen as onerous. ... For democrats, it was a rude reckoning to see these political forces show no remorse in highlighting the fiscal imbalances of the autonomous communities in order to call for less redistribution of wealth among the regions."